The scene of the fire. Photo: LASEMA
No fewer than 17 shops were destroyed in an early morning fire that swept through Sabo Market in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State on Tuesday.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olawale Afolabi, disclosed in a statement that the fire broke out at about 1:10 a.m. and was successfully contained before it spread to other sections of the market.
According to Afolabi, preliminary investigations indicated that the inferno originated in one of the shops before spreading to adjoining stalls.
“The immediate cause is suspected to be an electrical surge, as the outbreak reportedly occurred while the power supply was active,” the agency said.
He noted that emergency responders from LASEMA and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service immediately commenced firefighting operations, preventing the blaze from escalating into a larger disaster.
According to him, a post-incident assessment showed that 17 of the 32 shops in the affected section of the market were damaged, with provisions, groceries, foodstuffs and other merchandise destroyed.
He added, “Fortunately, no loss of life or injuries were recorded. The remaining shops within the affected row, as well as adjoining shops in the market, were largely salvaged due to the timely response of emergency teams.
“Recovery operations have now been successfully concluded, and the LASEMA Response Team has returned to base.”
Commending the response teams, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, urged market leaders, traders and residents to prioritise electrical safety by ensuring proper wiring of shops, avoiding overloading electrical appliances and carrying out regular inspections of electrical installations.
He also advised residents to report emergencies promptly through the state’s toll-free emergency lines, 112 and 767.
The incident comes barely three days after a three-storey residential building was gutted by fire in the Ikosi area of the state.
Fortunately, no lives were lost in that incident, according to LASEMA.
